Wheatley Wins a Fight Filled Game 5 in Wallaceburg
Wheatley Sharks forward Josh Tremblay - Photo by Ian Kennedy
There were fights during the game, fights after the game, and fights in the crowd. The Great Lakes Junior C playoff series between the Wallaceburg Lakers and Wheatley Sharks hit a boiling point Saturday in Wallaceburg as the Wheatley Sharks narrowly defeated the Wallaceburg Lakers 2-1.
Early in the second period, Wallaceburg took a 1-0 lead as Norm Leger streaked in on a breakaway and snapped a shot top shelf over Wheatley goalie Marc Tremblay’s glove.
Entering the third period down 1-0, Wheatley quickly bounced back with two goals. Kevin Swatzky got his team started followed by Trevor Grieve only minutes later. Wheatley was able to put the puck in the net despite top scorer Shaun Quigley missing the game due to an exam. The reaminder of the period was dominated by Wallaceburg who outshot Wheatley 12-6 in the final period.
- Wheatley Sharks Celebrate – Photo by Ian Kennedy
As the clock ticked down, Marc Tremblay made several huge saves including one kick save on Lakers forward Jordan Durston who had a wide open net but couldn’t pull the trigger quick enough.
As the final buzzer sounded, both benches erupted into a brawl which lasted several minutes and spread to the benches and even involved fans in the stands. Officials eventually separated the teams and cleared the arena.
For Wallaceburg the fights could prove to be extremely costly as captain Nash Lozon, and Norm Leger, who is tied for the team’s playoff scoring lead were both suspended. Wheatley on the other hand had two players suspended, Tyler Charamba and Kevin Grieve, but neither sit near the top of the Sharks scoring. Charamba was at the centre of the fray standing on his team bench screaming at fans and Lakers officials.
Game 6 moves back to Wheatley on Monday at 7:30pm. The Wallaceburg Lakers need to win to keep the series alive, while Wheatley can clinch a berth to the Great Lakes finals against the Belle River Canadiens with a win.